Can you snorkel in Rarotonga today?

Conditions look marginal right now — no clearly safe snorkeling window is forecast in Rarotonga over the next 72 hours. Check the hourly table for the calmest period.

What is the best time of day to snorkel in Rarotonga?

Snorkel during daylight, ideally in the morning before the wind picks up, and around high slack tide when water is clearest and currents are weakest. SnorkelForecast scores every daylight hour in Rarotonga so you can pick the calmest window.

What is the best tide for snorkeling?

High slack tide — within about an hour of the high-tide peak when currents are weakest — is the safest, clearest window. Strong low tides, strong tidal flow near channels or headlands, and large tidal-range days reduce score.

Rarotonga Snorkel Report Today

Cook Islands · Updated Tue 04:15 (-10) · Source: Snapshot · Showing fallback/stale data

The skinny

Marginal Report Tue 23:06

Rarotonga looks marginal today. The least-bad daylight window is around Wed 13:00, but waves is limiting the forecast.

Score: 3.9/10

Best time: Wed 13:00

Main risk: Waves

No useful morning window is showing yet.

No useful afternoon window is showing yet.

Email me when it is good

Sunrise

07:14

Sunset

18:16

Water

23.6°C

Max air

22.9°C

Sky

Cloudy

74% cloud

No safe window in the next 72 hours

Use the best-available section for the least-bad times.

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Wednesday

⚠️ fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Thursday

❌ poor conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Best available hours

Wed 23:00 — Fair (0.39) · still limited by waves, wind
Wed 19:00 — Fair (0.38) · still limited by waves, wind
Wed 21:00 — Fair (0.36) · still limited by waves, wind

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

Waves (42 hours)
Wind (38 hours)
Tide/current (36 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

Drift estimate from wind, swell, current and warm water.

Low · 23/100

Low drift risk now.

water is warm enough for occasional jellyfish; surface drift/current is noticeable; local shoreline exposure is not mapped yet.

Sightings override the model: if you see small purple jellyfish with long trailing tentacles, treat them as sting-capable and give them space.

Upcoming high tides

Next early morning high tide: Wed 13:00

Wed 13:00, Thu 14:00

Nearby alternatives in Cook Islands

Aitutaki Lagoon

265 km away

❌ Poor

Advanced forecast data

Viewing historical data

Mon 09:00 – Thu 09:00 (-10)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.41 around Mon 08:00; 3 of 24 hours are good, fair, or excellent.

Score trend, higher is better. Excellent ≥ 0.72, good 0.55–0.72, fair 0.35–0.55.

Conditions (24h trends)

Tap a chart to load just that series.

0/24 sampled hours stay at or below 0.36m (range 1.72m to 1.98m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 0/24 sampled hours (range 5.77 to 26.7m/s).

Tides range from 0.39m to 0.92m; 1 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview

Mon 09:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 10:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 11:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 12:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 13:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 14:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 15:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 16:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 17:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 18:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 19:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 20:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 21:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 22:00 poor ❌ Limited

Mon 23:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 00:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 01:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 02:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 03:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 04:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 05:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 06:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 07:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 08:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 09:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 10:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 11:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 12:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 13:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 14:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 15:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 16:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 17:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 18:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 19:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 20:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 21:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 22:00 poor ❌ Limited

Tue 23:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 00:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 01:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 02:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 03:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 04:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 05:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 06:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 07:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 08:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 09:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 10:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 11:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 12:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 13:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 14:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 15:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 16:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 17:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 18:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 19:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 20:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 21:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 22:00 poor ❌ Limited

Wed 23:00 poor ❌ Limited

Thu 00:00 poor ❌ Limited

Thu 01:00 poor ❌ Limited

Thu 02:00 poor ❌ Limited

Thu 03:00 poor ❌ Limited

Thu 04:00 poor ❌ Limited

Thu 05:00 poor ❌ Limited

Thu 06:00 poor ❌ Limited

Thu 07:00 poor ❌ Limited

Thu 08:00 poor ❌ Limited

Scoring methodology (for technical users)

We score each hour from 0 to 1 using daylight and these weighted components:

Wave height (35%): best below 0.36m, then decreases as it rises.
Wind speed (25%): best below 5.4m/s, lower is better.
Sea surface temperature (15%): best within 20.6°C to 30.4°C.
Tide and currents (15%): best around slack/high-tide windows.
Daylight (10%): visibility and safety gate (outside daylight scores lower).

Detailed hourly data table

Time	Wave (m)	Wind (m/s)	Sea temp (°C)	Status
Mon 09:00	1.84 · high	26.70 · high	24.50 · good	poor
Mon 10:00	1.98 · high	6.75 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Mon 11:00	1.96 · high	7.02 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Mon 12:00	1.96 · high	7.08 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Mon 13:00	1.94 · high	6.39 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Mon 14:00	1.92 · high	6.32 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Mon 15:00	1.90 · high	6.28 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Mon 16:00	1.88 · high	5.85 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Mon 17:00	1.86 · high	6.68 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Mon 18:00	1.84 · high	6.54 · high	24.40 · good	fair
Mon 19:00	1.82 · high	6.47 · high	24.40 · good	fair
Mon 20:00	1.80 · high	6.31 · high	24.40 · good	fair
Mon 21:00	1.78 · high	6.32 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Mon 22:00	1.76 · high	7.08 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Mon 23:00	1.76 · high	7.54 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Tue 00:00	1.74 · high	7.04 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Tue 01:00	1.74 · high	7.32 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Tue 02:00	1.74 · high	7.16 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Tue 03:00	1.74 · high	7.20 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Tue 04:00	1.74 · high	7.27 · high	24.30 · good	poor
Tue 05:00	1.74 · high	6.85 · high	24.30 · good	poor
Tue 06:00	1.74 · high	6.71 · high	24.30 · good	poor
Tue 07:00	1.72 · high	6.36 · high	24.30 · good	poor
Tue 08:00	1.72 · high	5.77 · high	24.30 · good	poor
Tue 09:00	1.70 · high	5.88 · high	24.30 · good	poor
Tue 10:00	1.68 · high	5.66 · high	24.30 · good	poor
Tue 11:00	1.66 · high	5.67 · high	24.30 · good	poor
Tue 12:00	1.64 · high	5.95 · high	24.30 · good	poor
Tue 13:00	1.64 · high	6.05 · high	24.30 · good	poor
Tue 14:00	1.62 · high	6.05 · high	24.30 · good	poor
Tue 15:00	1.62 · high	5.84 · high	24.20 · good	poor
Tue 16:00	1.62 · high	5.66 · high	24.20 · good	poor
Tue 17:00	1.60 · high	5.23 · good	24.20 · good	poor
Tue 18:00	1.60 · high	4.66 · good	24.20 · good	fair
Tue 19:00	1.60 · high	5.03 · good	24.20 · good	fair
Tue 20:00	1.62 · high	5.75 · high	24.30 · good	fair
Tue 21:00	1.62 · high	5.34 · good	24.30 · good	fair
Tue 22:00	1.62 · high	4.74 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Tue 23:00	1.64 · high	4.07 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 00:00	1.64 · high	4.46 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 01:00	1.64 · high	4.18 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 02:00	1.66 · high	4.30 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 03:00	1.66 · high	4.55 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 04:00	1.66 · high	3.96 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 05:00	1.68 · high	3.47 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 06:00	1.68 · high	4.37 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 07:00	1.68 · high	4.84 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 08:00	1.68 · high	4.60 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 09:00	1.68 · high	5.34 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 10:00	1.68 · high	4.80 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 11:00	1.66 · high	4.39 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 12:00	1.66 · high	4.30 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 13:00	1.66 · high	5.32 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 14:00	1.64 · high	5.76 · high	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 15:00	1.64 · high	5.51 · high	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 16:00	1.64 · high	6.13 · high	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 17:00	1.62 · high	5.62 · high	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 18:00	1.62 · high	5.06 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 19:00	1.62 · high	4.92 · good	24.30 · good	poor
Wed 20:00	1.64 · high	5.23 · good	24.40 · good	poor
Wed 21:00	1.64 · high	6.23 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Wed 22:00	1.64 · high	8.17 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Wed 23:00	1.66 · high	7.24 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Thu 00:00	1.66 · high	7.14 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Thu 01:00	1.66 · high	7.11 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Thu 02:00	1.68 · high	6.62 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Thu 03:00	1.68 · high	6.18 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Thu 04:00	1.68 · high	6.21 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Thu 05:00	1.68 · high	6.40 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Thu 06:00	1.68 · high	6.53 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Thu 07:00	1.68 · high	6.65 · high	24.40 · good	poor
Thu 08:00	1.70 · high	6.57 · high	24.40 · good	poor